I Can Show You The World
by jocular monoceros
Summary: “I can show you the world…” He told me this once. I didn’t believe him. He wanted nothing and I made sure I got everything. What more could he possibly show? ShikaTema
1. I Can Show You The World

I Can Show You The World

_**I Can Show You The World**_

**A/N: **Two posts in two days I'm getting back. Alright so I was undecided about whether or not this should be a one-shot or not. I intended it to be but then I erm, forgot, and when I reached the end of this chapter I felt like there should be a little pause. So, this shouldn't be that long Two chapters at least, maybe three but ya.

And yes, these are the starting lyrics to "A Whole New World". I adore this song. I had another fic idea for it but meh, this is more appealing. And yes I was listening to the song when I wrote it haha But I swear it'll be different.

jm

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Naruto. _All characters within this fanfiction belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Nor do I own the lyrics that my story has taken as its title, they belong to Disney.

--

"I can show you the world…" He told me this once. I didn't believe him. He wanted nothing and I made sure I got everything. What more could he possibly show? ShikaTema

--

Lying on the roof of his favourite cloud-watching place, the Konoha chuunin was enjoying a moment of relaxation to watch his beloved clouds, a pass time that was slowly taking up less and less of his life. Times had changed over the past few years, he'd changed too. But every now and then he was sure to take a break.

Looking out into the stretches of open sky, he breathed deeply, lost in his thoughts as his clouds, yes, _his_ clouds, were gently caressed and guided by the wind. Allowing himself a small smile, he allowed his mind and senses to relax, the entrance of another person going completely unnoticed by him.

"You're so lazy."

Without having to look he already knew who it was. Her tone of voice was oh-so-familiar to him now, accompanied, of course, by her particular…choice of greeting words: words that brought him down.

Ignoring her, he waited for her to move beside him as he knew she would. Soon enough, the soft sounds of her footsteps met his ears and she unceremoniously seated herself beside him. Without looking at her he knew she'd follow his example and look up at the sky too, and soon enough her patience would give in and she'd say whatever was running through her mind.

"Why?"

Ah yes. He knew her well.

And to prove it, and to annoy her, he smirked. That knowing smirk he saved just for her.

"Because I can."

"Shikamaru!" her voice reprimanded, clearly annoyed with his answer. It was a fair enough response but that was the irritating thing.

"Just because you can come up here doesn't make it the best place to go to. Just because you can watch clouds all day doesn't mean you should."

"I'm on my break!" was the response.

Sighing, she rolled her eyes, looking down at him in a way that she'd look at a particularly stubborn child who refused to see reality.

"The whole village is on a break," she muttered back. "There are no major threats to the Leaf so why not take this opportunity to help out where they need it? To go somewhere different, to see something new?"

By this point the visiting kunoichi had stood in front of him and gestured over the rooftops. Sitting up to look at her, he stretched before slowly dragging his dark eyes up to meet her beautiful teal ones.

He knew what she meant. She wanted him to make the most of himself.

"Why don't you do the same thing?" he responded confidently.

"I _am_ doing that," she snapped back, leaning against the edge of the rooftop. "I'm in Konoha today, next month I'll be in Lightning Country. It's a beautiful world out there, Shikamaru," she said a little gentler, "it's a shame you're missing it."

Over the years they'd learned about the other, understood each other and found striking similarities between them. They knew what they could share in confidence and knew what topics would be difficult to continue. And in all that time she'd wanted him to live a life like hers. They were similar enough, he could achieve as much as she did and she, like many others, wanted the best for him. And of him.

Standing from his seat, the Konoha shinobi walked over to her, eyes fixated on his village whilst her own watched the opposite side. Side by side, almost back to back, he spoke.

"It's a shame you are too."

Turning to look at her, defiance and a little pity shone back at him through her eyes. His own reflected the mirror image.

"I can show you the world," he said to her. "If you let me."

Mouth tightly shut, eyes locked with his, he knew she was seriously considering it. And hopefully, she'd give in too. His own eyes pleaded with her, adorned with a streak of confidence and certainty.

"When?"

"Tonight."

She looked up at the sky again before she nodded to him. She didn't ask how he'd show her but she trusted that he would. And knowing him the way she did, it would be different and refreshing, strongly challenging her own opinions…but worth it all the same.

"I'll see you here."

And with that, the blonde left him to enjoy his morning once more and he retook his position on the bench, eyes drifting up and beyond.

--

**A/N: **By my standards it feels short. I know it's a little…odd. It felt odd writing it but that's how it turned out. The rest'll be better, really

Thank you for reading,

jm


	2. A Dazzling Place I Never Knew

_**I Can Show You The World  
**_

**A/N: **Okay so I was meant to update this a couple of days ago but here it is. I like it a lot better although it seems somewhat detached from the first chapter. This is the end of it, I daresay, unless I have another idea to add to this. Thank you for reading!

It's almost 3:30am and I'm tired so I haven't properly checked my work, although I know I should. Please excuse any mistakes I may have.

jm

WARNING: This IS ShikaTema, and there is more of it in this chapter than the previous so if you don't like it, don't read it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Naruto. _All characters within this fanfiction belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Nor do I own the lyrics that my story has taken as its title, they belong to Disney.

--

**A Dazzling Place I Never Knew**

The sun was setting over the horizon, the warmth of the day cooled by twilight's breeze when the welcomed visitor appeared, waiting for her companion. Temari stood where she had hours beforehand, curiosity and anticipation running through her veins as she watched the shadow-wielder slowly make his way up to the rooftop to meet her.

Why she stayed rather than jumping down to meet him she didn't know. Maybe it was because he would have to climb up then climb down, and the thought that she'd made him do something he didn't really have to do. Either way, she found herself wandering back to the bench she found him lying on so many times, seating herself where she always did.

As soon as he reached his rooftop he looked over to where he knew she'd be. Taking a seat beside her, he offered no greeting but chose to watch the sunset with her. She, on the other hand, looked at him expectantly. His face was lined with concentration, or maybe it just looked like that all the time. She noticed the small bag on his back but ignored it, turning her attention back to his face. When no reply came she too made to watch, following his example as she so often did without realizing.

"After the sun sets I want to show you something," he said to her, finally acknowledging her presence.

She glanced at him in response.

"We'd go outside the village but we can be back well before dawn."

A more curious look was cast upon him but she silently agreed all the same.

"The sunset looks nice," she said after a while, just as the last rays of sunlight disappeared over the horizon.

"Does it look any different in all the places you've travelled to?'

She glared him, noting the slight tone of mockery in his voice. Sure enough, there was a rather snug smirk staring back at her and she automatically brought out her hand to flick his ear, enjoying the irritated look that soon followed.

"Iie, not really. It's the same sun wherever you go."

"Heh."

Glancing at her companion she noticed a vague but familiar glint in his eye and curl to his lip: the look that would result in him saying "I told you so". Curious but proud she ignored it, looking up at the stars instead, watching them twinkle. She personally preferred the stars to his clouds. It seemed more peaceful at night sometimes, not too bright that she couldn't sleep, but not too dark that she couldn't see.

"Mendokuse. _Now_ you want to stare at the sky," she heard him mutter, standing from his seat.

Deciding to sit a little longer to annoy him, she waited for him to sigh impatiently as he stood at the entrance and exit of the roof.

"Troublesome woman, we don't have all day."

Smirking to herself once he did, she got up and followed him out onto the streets of Konoha. The familiar paths were decorated with equally familiar faces and smiles, greetings following them out of the village gates, passing them onto the soft silence that would accompany them into the forests.

Glancing at her companion with piercing teal eyes, she let curiosity and self-doubt cross her mind, rather unnatural for her, the latter especially. But there was something about the boy, or man, that walked beside her. He confidently questioned her beliefs and ideas, and she found his own rather interesting. As much as she enjoyed her intellectual exchanges with many of the people she encountered, she enjoyed no one else's more than his. He never seemed to back down, and even if he did, he did it only in words, not in actual belief. Others, even superiors at times, would yield to Temari, the girl with smarts and strength, the woman who seemed to know it all.

He never did. Never in their entire relationship had his own idea been changed because of something she said; they seemed equally stubborn.

So naturally him wanting to actually prove something to her couldn't help but spark more than a little interest in the jounin. In the distance the sound of running water was heard, but it disappeared as they trudged on.

He took her a little while longer, weaving in and out of the evergreens, seeming to know where he was going. She silently followed him, trusting and loyal. At a clearing he stopped and took off his backpack where he pulled out a rug and a blanket. He missed the strange look she shot at him, although she thought he'd know all along¸ as he laid out the rug on a dry patch of grass, dumping the blanket on one side, before turning to his guest, of a sort.

"Take a seat," he instructed, ever the gentleman as he pulled out a pillow or two.

"What the hell are you doing?" she let out before she could stop herself.

"Mendokuse. You said you'd let me show you. I'm doing this _my_ way. Now sit down."

Still watching him carefully but curiously, she easily caught the pillow he'd thrust upon her, taking a seat and pulling the blanket over his legs, having removed his shoes before stepping onto the soft fabric.

Shrugging, she removed her own before sitting beside him, with a metre or so distancing them. Throwing half the blanket onto her side, he made his pillows comfortable before lying atop of them, staring directly up.

The Suna kunoichi watched him carefully. Had it been anyone else she would have whacked him on the head with her fan, not that it saved him from such a fate. Still, this made her all the more curious and interested. Thinking that they spent too much time staring somewhere else and doing nothing, she broke the silence.

"Are you going to show me or not?" she snapped a little impatiently, yet gentle in a way.

"I'm trying to show you but you won't lie down."

Ignoring the obscene terminology, she did as he instructed, finding herself unable to stare at anything but the stars above them.

It was so peaceful, just lying there in the woods, between a rug and blanket nonetheless, and pillows too! The forest itself seemed to sleep, and the creatures that _were_ awake tried to lull them both to sleep, or her at least.

"Look," he instructed, nodding up at the stars.

"I'm looking," she responded.

"Are you really?"

"Shikamaru, if you looked over at me you'd see that I obviously was."

"Mendokuse. This is going to be a long night," he muttered, not bothering to hide what he'd said from her. "Just keep looking."

After five minutes in silence and looking up at the stars, Temari found herself almost completely relaxed and ready to nod off, having to turn to Shikamaru to stay awake.

"Nara…what am I meant to be looking at?" she asked with a yawn.

"What have you been looking at the whole time?"

"The sky! The stars!" she answered incredulously, eyes widening as her temper began to rise.

"Calm down, Temari," he told her, his hand holding her wrist, willing it to relax once more.

He left it there, and she made no gesture to make him release his hold on her. She sighed, calming herself before she spoke again. In a significantly more gentle tone, she sounded more like a child asking for the right answer.

"Shikamaru, what am I meant to see?"

He smirked.

"That."

Looking up to where he pointed, she watched the shooting star pass through the sky, Temari smiling to herself.

"And how does that prove whatever it is you're meant to be proving to me? Although it is lovely…"

"What did you see?" he asked, looking over at her.

"The falling star?" she responded, eyes tracing over his familiar features until they met his own.

"Pessimist," he answered.

She rolled her eyes by habit, turning away from him as she looked up at the stars again.

"Falling star, shooting star, same thing."

"No it's not, it's a matter of opinion and perspective."

"If you think about it that much then yes, it is," she agreed, voice cheerful and joking.

"It's actually a meteor, just a normal rock breaking into the Earth's atmosphere," he told her, eyes no longer fixated on his companion.

"I know."

"So why did you call it a falling star?"

"Everybody calls it a falling star."

"Half the people that call it a falling star know that it's really not. Stars don't fall, Temari. They twinkle and dance before us, they disappear and inspire stories and dreams, but they never fall."

Hearing him talk the way he did was rare but always welcome to the young woman, and she watched him with a smile. She'd almost forgotten she was mad at him earlier in the day for doing the same thing he was doing now.

"They neither fall nor shoot, Shikamaru," she responded, smile widening.

"It's not even a star, just a plain old ordinary rock, like this."

He handed her a rock he'd picked up from the ground beside him, Temari taking it all the same although she was in fact aware of what rocks looked and felt like. It was more a clump of dirt as well though, marking her fingertips before she carefully placed it on the ground beside her.

"Looked like a star to me," she muttered.

Smirk.

"Exactly."

At this she looked over at him expectedly. She had not expected that answer. Where had the exactly come from? Hadn't he just been arguing that it was a rock and nothing else? And he was right at that too. He didn't look back at her, but instead left his gaze on the heavens above them.

"It's a rock but in our eyes it became a star."

He said nothing else, and she turned away to try make sense of what he was saying. He'd told her things she already knew, but there seemed to be a different link in his mind. His mind, his beautiful mind.

"I can show you a world more beautiful than anything you've ever seen in your travels, more splendid and magnificent than anything you could ever take me to," he told her, sitting up finally and looking down at her with a gentle expression. It was a moment of honesty and vulnerability. He offered to share a part of him with her, openly and willingly, and she in return was more than happy to accept it.

Reflecting the intensity of his gaze, she sat up and spoke.

"Show me."

It was more a plea than a statement or command.

He smiled at her.

"Just look up again, and you'll see it."

She complied, searching the skies for an answer, for something as wonderful as he'd described to her… but nothing new seem to come. It was just the same dazzling sky, same stars shining down on her once more. It was as beautiful as it had ever been, but she felt nothing like he implied she'd feel.

"The stars are always beautiful, Shikamaru. But no matter how wide I open my eyes or how many times I look I see the same dots.

"You choose to see them, you can see more than that. Open your eyes, Temari, by closing them," he told her, dark eyes watching her carefully. He leaned on his left arm, which fell towards Temari so she was close enough to touch. But he didn't.

To his amusement she did in fact close her eyes and open them numerous times, a sadder expression seeming to flash in her eyes each time they opened.

Sighing, she leaned on his awaiting shoulder, rubbing her temples as she tried to solve the apparent puzzle. She'd persist onwards, he knew, but he'd rather her know now. As another idea formed in his mind, he stood from his place, gently pushing her off him while he put on his shoes and held out his hand for hers, waiting for her to be ready.

She was, of course, and she took his hand without a second thought, following him as he walked on. She knew better than to ask where they were going, and rather liked the idea of a surprise.

He stopped at a river, Temari wondering if and how he intended to cross it. Hand still clasped tightly in his, she resolved to doing nothing else but following him once more, down the river until the water stilled.

Here he stopped for good, gently pulling her towards the edge of the river's banks.

"Look," he told her again, hand on the small of her back as he guided her towards the river.

She stepped closer, brushing away the thought that told her he'd push her in. They were beyond that, at least at the current moment. Looking into the cool, settled water, she saw her own sharp teal eyes and familiar face staring back at her. Beside her was his reflection, watching her, and above them, the endless sky sparkled with its diamonds, the pearl smiling down at them.

"Is it crystal clear now?" he asked, looking down at their reflections.

He watched the way her eyes narrowed, in deeper thought he knew, the way they darted from object to object in the reflection.

Seeing that she still had not fully comprehended it, he spoke on.

"The world, troublesome woman, is as beautiful as you make it. Everything is. The world and everything you see in it is as wondrous and amazing as the mind that perceives it. Nothing you could ever see could ever measure up to the amount of things you'll think," he told her, their eyes meeting at the reflection.

"You spend your days, and your life, wandering the world for everything it has to offer. I spend mine scouring my mind for everything it has to give."

She smiled in understanding, leaning into him as he smiled back at her.

"And your mind, yours especially, is a beautiful thing."

With that said, she looked down at the river once more, and the stars that adorned the heavens, before taking his hand and leading him back to their blankets. Here, she comfortably sat, as close to him as possible, resting her back on his chest as she looked up at the sky with a knowing smile.

Her own eyes dazzled with the radiance of the stars they watched, as she looked at and beyond them, wandering into the depths of her mind, for a moment at least.

"It's a shame for me to miss the things you see," he said to her after a while, Temari almost laughing on the spot. He'd given in, agreeing to go and travel a little more. But she understood now, what he did when he sat and watched the clouds he loved so much. He did his job as a shinobi, and a fine one at that. He knew what the world had to offer and sought nothing from it, preferring instead to venture into the realms of his inner being, ambitioning to conquer that instead.

"It's a bigger shame for me to miss this," she told him, pulling his arms around her.

There was a certain thrill she felt when the two of them conversed. His challenging opinions and perspectives, while disagreeing with her own, accepted them at the same time, his answers lying one question ahead of her own. And Temari, the woman who apparently knew it all, was reminded that there were still things she missed, still hope for the pessimistic aspects she'd cemented in her life.

The world could always be beautiful.

--

**A/N:** So the ending is a little corny and so's the chapter title. At least I didn't end with "A Whole New World", right? Haha

I have to say part of this was inspired by the song but I've had a kind of experience like this, although not at all romantic haha I was just talking with a friend and we ended up having a rather philosophical relationship which is strange for us because we're rarely serious. And of course we had opposing opinions and when I thought I'd made my concluding statement he said "Exactly", then proceeded to tell me the next thought I would have, the one that would support his idea. It was shocking but refreshing. That may not make sense but yes.

Be positive. And minds _are_ beautiful.

jm


End file.
